Directional beam steering system and method to detect location and motion

ABSTRACT

A gaming system is disclosed comprising a console unit having a processor and transceiver circuitry. The transceiver circuitry couples to the processor and includes respective receiver and transmitter circuits. A first phased array antenna interface is employed to transmit and receive directional signals in response to the processor. The system employs a mobile game controller including a second phased array antenna interface to receive and redirect the directional signals back to the first phased array antenna interface. The processor generates proximity data based at least in part on a parameter associated with the directional signals, the proximity data representing the proximity of the mobile game controller with respect to the game console unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/TECHNICAL FIELD

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §365, this application claims priority fromInternational Application No. PCT/US2011/021205, published as WO2011/090886 A2 on Jul. 28, 2011, which claims priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/298,162, filed Jan. 25, 2010 and entitled“DIRECTIONAL BEAM STEERING SYSTEM AND METHOD TO DETECT LOCATION ANDMOTION”. International Application No. PCT/US2011/021205 and U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/298,162 are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

The disclosure herein relates to wireless communication systems andmethods and more particularly to gaming systems that establishcommunication between a computing device and one or more human interfaceInput/Output (I/O) devices.

BACKGROUND

The symbiotic relationship between hardware and software in the gamingindustry often plays a key role in a given game console's success.Cutting-edge game software often needs correspondingly advanced hardwarein order to provide the highest quality gaming experience. One exampleof this dependency relates to tracking player movements to enhance gameplay. Generally, this involves providing sufficient hardware to track aplayer's movements via a handheld controller pad and using the data forgame software to display changes in position during game play.

Conventional game controller tracking schemes generally involvetwo-dimensional side-to-side or up-and-down movement monitoring. Thesesolutions generally rely on motion detection and report locationsrelative to a reference point. Other schemes involve complex opticalsystems to track player positions. While conventional position trackingschemes work well for their intended applications, the need exists forcost-effective and accurate three-dimensional tracking methods toinclude, for example, the proximity of a controller with respect to theconsole in terms of absolute location. Embodiments of such systems andmethods described herein satisfy these needs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and notby way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and inwhich like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of one embodiment of a gameconsole system;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the electronicresources within the game console unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the phased arrayantenna transceiver circuitry employed in the game console unit of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of the circuitrywithin one of the game controllers of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of aretro-directive antenna array employed in the game controller of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of a game consoleunit paired with a controller to establish respective uplink anddownlink communication paths;

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a packet protocol for carrying outdata transfers between the game console and one or more gamecontrollers;

FIG. 8 illustrates detailed method steps to carry out a controllerinitialization procedure using the packet protocol of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9A illustrates a side view of a game console unit during oneembodiment of a scan mode, and showing various directed beams atdifferent vertical angles θ_(V);

FIG. 9B shows a top plan view of a game console during one embodiment ofa scan mode similar to FIG. 9A, but showing various directed beams atdifferent horizontal angles φ_(H);

FIG. 9C illustrates one example of a signal strength matrix for use indetecting the position of the controller during scan mode;

FIG. 10 illustrates detailed method steps to carry out a controllerlocation detection procedure; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a top plan view of the game console system, andshowing proximity rings representing proximity zones for determining theproximity of a game controller to a game console unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of gaming systems and methods are described herein wherethree-dimensional tracking of one or more mobile game controllers withrespect to a game console may be carried out by employingmillimeter-wave wireless links. In one embodiment, the links areestablished between each controller and a game console via directionalbeams radiated between respective phased-array antennas. The controllersmay utilize unique phased array antennas to reflect directional beamsback to the game console, with beam orientation information to establishcontroller coordinates in three dimensions. Use of the millimeter-wavespectrum in this regard provides significant advantages in cost,complexity, and end user experience.

In one embodiment, a mobile game controller employs a phased arrayantenna in the form of a retro-directive array. The retro-directivearray provides a low-power and low-cost automatic tracking scheme forstraightforward position detection and tracking. Active or passive phaseconjugation circuitry enables one embodiment of the retro-directivearray to boost signaling levels for more practical bidirectionalsignaling.

In other embodiments, the millimeter-wave wireless links employ variousuplink and downlink configurations to transfer data between one or moremobile game controllers and the game console. One uplink embodiment toestablish communication from the mobile controller to the game consoleinvolves a code spreading technique to enable multiple controllers toutilize the same carrier frequency. To effect a straightforwarddownlink, in one embodiment a frequency shift keying modulation methodmay be employed.

System Overview

Referring now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a game console system,generally designated 100, includes a console unit 102 that communicateswith mobile game controllers 104 and 106. The game controllers 104 and106 are typically worn, held and/or manipulated by respective players tocontrol virtual characters or objects on a video display 108 such as aninterconnected computer monitor or television. Millimeter-wave wirelesslinks 110 and 112 established between the console unit 102 and thecontrollers 104 and 106 respectively enable the system 100 to trackplayer movements in three dimensions x, y, and z from the perspective ofthe console 102. The φ and θ dimensions correspond to side-to-side andup-down movements, respectively, while the R dimension corresponds toproximity movements. A game embodied in software (not shown) running onthe console 102 uses the positional information generated by thecontrollers 104 and 106 (which is updated in real time) to visuallypresent corresponding movement on the display 108. As players progressthrough their gaming activity, the three-dimensional tracking featureheightens player involvement by rendering a more life-likethree-dimensional video game experience. An embodiment of a controlleris described further with reference to FIG. 4.

As more fully described below with respect to FIG. 6, the wireless links110 and 112 generally establish one or more communication paths betweenthe controllers 104, 106 and the console unit 102. An uplinkconfiguration facilitates data transfer from the controllers 104 and 106to the console 102, while a downlink configuration allows for datatransfer from the console 102 to the controllers 104 and 106.

Using millimeter-wave signals for the game console system 100 describedherein provides for relatively high antenna gain in dimensions on themillimeter scale. Millimeter-wave signals are broadly defined as signalsin the 30 GHz-300 GHz range. The short wavelength allows very fineangular resolution for position detection and tracking. Moreover, from aregulatory perspective, a wide unlicensed bandwidth on the order of 7GHz (centered at 60 GHz) is conveniently available for game play. Usingthis spectrum a range resolution on the order of around 1.7 inches isachievable using straightforward Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Signalingtechniques such as CHIRP can be used to further improve the resolution.Further advantages with millimeter-wave signaling involve, for example,low multi-path effects, efficient post-processing schemes and robustdetection methods.

Game Console Unit

The game console unit 102 described herein generally comprises aninteractive entertainment computer or electronic device that produces avideo display signal. The display signal may be used with a displaydevice 108 (FIG. 1), such as a television or monitor, to display a videogame. While the console unit 102 is often designed primarily for playingvideo games, it may also include general purpose computer functionalityfor carrying out other tasks, such as web browsing, photo management,and email, to name but a few. The key to the game console unit 102described herein is that it provides any gaming or computer-relatedenvironment where a mobile controller device (e.g., controllers 104 and106) is disposed remotely from a paired console unit (e.g., console unit102). An embodiment of the game console unit 102 is described furtherwith reference to FIG. 2.

With reference now to FIG. 2, one embodiment of a game console unit,generally designated 200, includes computer processing resources in theform of a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) 204 and/orgraphics processor unit (GPU) (not shown). The processor 204 carries outcompute-intensive tasks in response to software loaded into a mainmemory 208, e.g., via a mass storage access unit 206 such as aread-only-memory (ROM) drive for receiving media, such as DVD or Blu-Raymedia. High-performance general purpose processors or multi-coreprocessors may be employed to provide sufficient processing power. Theprocessor resources may reside inside a console housing (not shown), orat a remote location to interface with the game system 100 via a networkinterface (not shown). The console main memory 208 may take the form ofa graphics DRAM architecture to interface with the processor 204 tostore in-process computing results such as shadings and triangleformations for game frames during operation. Further mass storage 209,e.g., in the form of one or more hard drives may be employed to storeoften-used game software and related files.

Further referring to FIG. 2, to establish wireless links with one ormore of the mobile controllers 104 and 106, the processor 204 interfaceswith one or more wireless transceiver circuits 210 (in phantom). Eachtransceiver circuit 210 employs transmission circuitry 212 as part of adownlink to communicate with the controllers 104 and 106, and receivercircuitry 214 forming the receiving end of an uplink. Each of thetransmitter and receiver circuits are described in further detail below.The transceiver circuit 210 couples to a directional antenna interface216 that couples to a directional antenna 218. One embodiment of adirectional antenna 218 involves a two-dimensional array of antennaelements defining a phased array antenna, more fully described belowwith reference to FIG. 3. Unlike omni-directional antennas that have auniform gain in all directions, a directional antenna has a differentantenna gain in each direction.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the game console unit 200 detectsand calculates positional data associated with one or more controllers104 and 106 in accordance with methods described below. Positioninformation is received from the controllers 104 and 106 in the form ofangle of arrival (AOA) and time of arrival (TOA) signal components andfed to the processor 204 where actual position data is calculated andprocessed. The processor 204 then drives a display port or interface222. A display device 108, such as a monitor or television, coupled tothe display interface 222, visually communicates the calculatedpositional data on the monitor or display 108 via character or objectmovements corresponding to the controller movements. For high-definitionviewing, a suitable wired or wireless HDMI interface (not shown) isemployed as the display interface to ensure a suitable data rate.Communications between multiple game controllers 104 and 106 and theconsole 200 may be channelized and arbitrated by a packet scheduler 224,which prevents collisions and/or conflicts between data transfers amongthe various controllers 104 and 106 and the console 200.

Game Console Antenna

Referring now to FIG. 3, one embodiment of a phased array antennacircuit, generally designated 300, for use at the console unit 200 (FIG.2) includes a plurality of antenna elements 302, such as micro-striplinecomponents arranged in a two-dimensional array. The elements may beconfigured to, for example, output and/or receive signals in a 7 GHzfrequency band centered on 60 GHz (or on a frequency between 30 and 300GHz). Antenna power is controlled by respective power amplifiers 306having variable or fixed gains to amplify signals between the antennaelements and corresponding phase adjustors 304. While the entire phasedarray antenna circuit 300 may be monolithically formed on an integratedcircuit chip, the antenna array 302 may be disposed external to thephased array antenna circuit 300, formed on-chip, on a chip package orchip carrier, and/or on another integrated circuit (for example, in achip stack). The phase adjusters 304 correspond to the plurality ofantenna elements to set the relative phases of the transmit or receivesignals for the different antenna elements based on coefficients storedin a memory 308 (such as a look-up table). The phase adjustors 304 actin a coordinated fashion in response to control logic 310 and signalcontrol circuitry 312 (both of which may be realized by the processor204) to effectively steer the orientation of signal transmission byassigning a different phase angle offset to signals transmitted orreceived by each antenna element 302.

The phased array antenna 300 geometry plays an important role in antennadetection and tracking. One of the key parameters in antenna designinvolves directivity. Directivity is a measure of beam strength in agiven directional orientation Generally, the directivity D for a lineararray of antennas radiating into half-space may be expressed as anapproximation by the equation:

${D_{array\_ factor} \approx {4\left( {1 + \frac{L}{d}} \right)\frac{d}{\lambda}}};{L ⪢ \left. d\Longrightarrow D_{array\_ factor} \right. \approx {4\frac{L}{\lambda}}}$where d=antenna spacing, λ=wavelength, and L=array length. Further, therespective vertical and horizontal 3 dB beamwidths θ_(V) and φ_(H) for auniform broadside array may be approximated by the relationship:

$\theta \cong {\cos^{- 1}\left( \frac{{\pm 1.391}\;\lambda}{\pi\;{Nd}} \right)} \cong \frac{101.5}{D}$Thus, by appropriately sizing the array dimensions, a desireddirectivity may be achieved. Note that the 3 dB beamwidth may be definedgenerally as twice the angle on either side of the main beam where thepower falls by at least half. One example of an array in accordance withthe disclosure herein employs 100 antenna elements arranged in a 20 by 5matrix with relative spacing on the order of 5 mm.

Further referring to FIG. 3, during antenna reception, electricalsignals acted on by the phase adjustors 304 are fed to a measurementcircuit 314. The circuit determines whether a metric associated with areceived signal, such as a channel quality index parameter, power levelparameter, or the like, exceeds a corresponding threshold. This isparticularly useful during an initial location detection procedure, morefully described below. In some embodiments, an optional multiplexer 316selectively couples one or more received electrical signals associatedwith one or more antenna elements to the measurement circuit and/or theprocessor 204, to effect time-multiplexed operation. Alternatively, thedifferent antenna elements may be associated with different frequencybands to effect frequency multiplexed operation.

Depending on the embodiment, the console unit antenna interface 300 maybe designed to time-share transmission and detection functions, orprovide dedicated transmission and detection functions. Time-sharing agiven phased array between transmission and reception may be carried outin a straightforward manner by implementing an optional switching unit(not shown) controlled by the control logic 310. Dedicated transmissionand reception functionality may be accomplished by adding additionalantenna resources as the need dictates.

Mobile Game Controller

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a mobile game controller 400,corresponding to the controllers 104 and 106 shown in FIG. 1, tocommunicate with a game console unit 200 (FIG. 2). The controller 400may be ergonomically crafted to fit in a player's hands or configuredfor placement on the player's body via straps or attachable apparel, orfor placement on an object associated with the game. To provide fortypical gaming functions, the controller may incorporate optional gamingsignal generators such as an actuator 402 and/or mini joystick or thelike, and a keypad 404. A touch screen 406 may be employed for addedfunctionality.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, an optional microcontroller 408manages the flow of data from the signal generators (e.g., actuator 402,keypad 404 and touch screen 406) and controls transceiver circuitry 410(in phantom). The transceiver circuitry 410 employs a receiver circuit412 that provides the reception end of a downlink 606 (FIG. 6), while atransmitter circuit 414 provides the transmission side of an uplink 608(FIG. 6). The transceiver circuitry 410 communicates with the consoleunit (e.g., console unit 200) via a unique antenna interface 416 thatemploys a phased array antenna 418. As more fully described below, thecontroller antenna 418 cooperates with the console antenna (e.g.,console antenna 302) to enable the console unit (e.g., console unit 200)to detect and track the controller position during game play.

Referring now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of the mobile controller 400(FIG. 4) to enable position detection and tracking includes a specialform of phased array antenna known as a retro-directive array, generallydesignated 500. One form of the retro-directive array includes atwo-dimensional array of antenna elements 502 configured similar to thatof the console antenna 300 (FIG. 3), with a geometric layout optimizedfor a desired directivity parameter. Unlike the fully steerable consoleantenna, however, the retro-directive array employs active phaseconjugation circuitry in the form of respective mixers 504 that eachtie-in to a local oscillator 508. Like the console antenna, signalsreceived at each antenna element are offset by a specified phase thatcooperatively steers transmission or reception of a beam. By setting thelocal oscillator frequency to twice the incoming RF carrier frequency,the antenna reflects an incoming signal back to the signal source inaccordance with the following approximations:

$V_{out} = {{V_{in}{\cos\left( {{\omega_{RF}t} + {n\;\phi}} \right)} \times V_{LO}{\cos\left( {2\omega_{RF}t} \right)}} = {{\frac{1}{2}V_{in}V_{LO}{\cos\left( {{\omega_{RF}t} - {n\;\phi}} \right)}} + {\frac{1}{2}V_{in}V_{LO}{\cos\left( {{3\;\omega_{RF}t} + {n\;\phi}} \right)}}}}$The second component of the expanded equation may be discarded usingfiltering since it's center frequency is a harmonic of the leadingcomponent center frequency. The result is an automatic phase conjugationof the incoming signal that essentially redirects the incoming signalback from where it originated.

Use of the retro-directive array 500 by a mobile game controller 400 tocommunicate with the game console unit 200 allows the controller 400 toutilize minimal power. This is achievable since actively steering thereflected signals by specialized control circuitry is unnecessary.Moreover, the active nature of the phase conjugation circuitry providesa signal boosting effect for the reflected signals as they propagateback to the console unit. Further, the controller may resort to usingpurely analog circuitry, if desired, to avoid digital basebandprocessing circuitry. Other embodiments may utilize different phaseconjugation methods that passively reflect incoming signals, such ascorner arrays or Van Atta arrays. Those configurations are well-known tothose skilled in the art and warrant no further description herein.

While a retro-directive array provides distinct advantages for one ormore low-power mobile controllers, some embodiments may opt for one ormore fully steerable phased array antennas. This would enable thecontrollers to search for and detect the console position. Moreover,positioning the antenna structures may involve mounting the array flushwith the controller body or nested within an opening to maximize line ofsight operability.

Game System Downlink

In most wireless digital data communications systems, digital datasymbols are generally modulated onto an analog radio frequency (RF)carrier signal ω. The carrier signal is transmitted and received viaantenna structures. The received signal is then demodulated as an analogsignal and compared to a threshold value to determine the data bit value(known as slicing) and sampled to recover the transmitted digital data.

FIG. 6 illustrates respective uplink and downlink configurationsinvolving a game console unit 604 paired with one mobile controller 602.In one embodiment, described more fully below, different signalingcircuits and methods are used to realize respective uplink and downlinkpaths 606 and 608 (in phantom). With continued reference generally toFIG. 2, and more particularly to FIG. 6, the console transmittercircuitry 212 forms part of the system downlink 606 for transmittingdata and/or control information from the game console unit to thecontroller(s). Data exchanged in this direction may, during controllerinitialization, assign a temporary address or designation to acontroller 602; or may involve, for example, physical feedback data forprocessing at the controller to provide an added sensory experience togame play.

In an effort to minimize power and complexity, a constant envelope formof modulation may be used for the downlink radio. Frequency shift keying(FSK), amplitude shift keying (ASK), or binary phase shift keying (BPSK)modulation are a few schemes that work well in this regard. Shift keyingmodulation generally involves transmitting digital information throughdiscrete changes in the carrier wave frequency (FSK modulation),amplitude (ASK modulation) or phase (PSK modulation). In one particularembodiment, modulation circuitry in the form of an FSK modulator 610 isemployed to convert a digitized baseband signal from a basebandprocessor 612 to a suitable RF-modulated signal. The RF signal is thenfed to a phased array antenna 614 via mixer array 616 for directedwireless transmission to the controller 602.

At the controller side of the downlink 606, one embodiment of thereceiver circuitry takes the form of a straightforward array ofintermediate frequency (IF) mixers 618 to downconvert the RF signal, andpass it to a low-pass filter 620 for baseband demodulation. A slicingthreshold comparator 622 determines whether demodulated symbols are “0”sor “1”s for data recovery. The data may then be fed to the controllermicrocontroller 408 to process the data into, for example, feedback datafor input to vibration transducers (not shown). Other receiverconfigurations are possible as the application dictates.

Game System Uplink

With the downlink 606 providing data from the console 604 to thecontroller 602, the uplink 608 enables multiple mobile controllers toutilize the same carrier frequency in transmitting data to the gameconsole unit. In one embodiment, the uplink is based on a code spreadingscheme where information bits are spread over an artificially broadenedbandwidth. The bits are then multiplied with a pseudorandom bit streamrunning several times as fast. The bits in the pseudorandom bit streamare referred to as “chips”, with the streaming known as “chipping” orspreading code. It increases the bit-rate of the signal (and the amountof bandwidth it occupies) by a ratio known as the spreading factor (theratio of the chip rate to the original information rate). This is a formof code-division-multiple-access (CDMA) signaling.

To carry out the code spreading method, the controller 602 employs alinear modulator 624 to modulate input data according to, for example,an FSK, ASK, or PSK modulation technique. The modulated data is thengrouped into codewords, one for each symbol transmitted. The codewordsare generated by a spreading code generator 626 and may be mapped in avariety of ways, such as for example by frequency or phase values. Inone specific embodiment, a given codeword is inverted if the symbol is a“0”, and left unchanged if the symbol is a “1”. The controller code“chips” are then multiplied with a carrier waveform generated by anupconverting carrier frequency generator, such as a local oscillator628. Optional amplification and bandpass filtering may be employed asnecessary. The RF signal may then be transmitted by the controllerphased array antenna 630 to the game console unit 604.

At the game console receiving end of the uplink 608, the receivercircuitry 214 (FIG. 2) employs correlation receivers to store exactcopies of the system's chipping codes for each controller. The receivercircuitry uses the codes to multiply a received data stream selectingthe same chipping code as was used in each controller, therebyde-spreading the coded signal. This generally involves an appropriatedownconverting module 630 to demodulate the coded data components fromthe RF signal, and a de-spreading circuit including a spreading codegenerator 632 and synchronizer circuit 634. The original user data isrestored by mathematical operations, such as by filter 636, asnecessary.

As noted above, the code spreading scheme allows multiple controllers tocommunicate with the console over the same carrier frequency. Inessence, multiple channels for the system may be realized in anefficient manner.

While a code-division form of channel access is described above, itshould be understood that other ways of channelizing the system may beemployed. For example, assigning discrete frequency bands in a frequencydivision scheme may be suitable in some applications. Similarly, timedivision methods may alternatively be applied. In fact, in accordancewith one embodiment of a packet signaling protocol more fully describedbelow, a version of a time-multiplexed signaling scheme is employed inconcert with the code-spreading uplink described above.

System Operation

To manage uplink and downlink data transmission traffic, in oneembodiment, the system 100 employs a unique packet protocol controlledby the console scheduler 218 (FIG. 2). FIG. 7 illustrates a packetstructure, generally designated 700, for transmission by the consoletransmission circuitry 212 over a predefined carrier frequency ω. Thepacket structure includes a preamble frame 702 to establish a givenpacket transfer, followed by a beam orientation frame 704. The beamorientation frame includes the vertical and horizontal angle informationfor the initially transmitted beam so that, upon reflection back to theconsole from the controller, the console can identify the controllerlocation by the orientation frame. A data downlink time slot 706 isprovided for data from the console to the controller, such asinitialized uplink assignments or physical feedback data, as describedbelow. A relatively long uplink frame 708 is provided for uplink dataslots to allow multiple controller transmitters to sequentially transmitdata (modulated on the reflected beams) to the console in accordancewith their respective slot assignments. Although shown as timeinterleaved in FIG. 7, the uplink slots may be code-division multiplexedand separately received by several rake receivers in the console.

In operation, before the uplinks and downlinks carry out gaming-relatedtransactions, the gaming system 100 (FIG. 1) carries out a variety ofpreliminary tasks. This generally involves initializing one or morecontrollers via a controller initialization procedure 800 (FIG. 8) atstartup (and/or during game play when an additional player wishes tojoin, described further with reference to FIG. 8), followed by a searchsequence 1000 (FIG. 10) to identify the absolute locations of one ormore controllers in three-dimensional space. The initialization routinesare followed by ongoing tracking steps that update the controllerpositions on a periodic or continuous basis, depending on theapplication needs (described further with reference to FIG. 10).

With reference now to FIG. 8, the controller initialization procedure800 in further detail begins by first powering up the console unit 102(FIG. 1) and one or more of the controllers 104, 106 by one or moreplayers, at 802. The console unit transmitter circuitry 212 (FIG. 2)then transmits a directional signal over the downlink 606, at 804, inaccordance with the packet protocol described above, and awaitscontroller replies. The blank or unmodulated carrier frame intervals forthe packet uplink slots allow the powered controllers to modulate thereflected carrier signal to create respective uplink data. In someembodiments, to avoid collisions, unacknowledged controllers reply byresponding after a wait interval, which may be predetermined or random,at 806. Powered controller transmitters then reply during the blank orunmodulated carrier frame intervals by modulating the reflected carriersignal to broadcast one or more data signals such as an enable bit tothe console over the uplink 608, at 808. Since, in one embodiment, eachcontroller employs a unique code mixed with the data bit(s), the gameconsole receivers may decode the controller code to identify each uniquecontroller. In response to receiving the powered controller reply, theconsole transmitters send an acknowledge signal to the controllerreceivers, at 810. The acknowledge signal may include an address ordesignated controller number (such as 1, 2, 3, or 4 for systemsemploying four controllers) so that the controller microcontroller knowsthe appropriate uplink slot assignment for transmitting data to theconsole transmitters. The assignment also informs the associated playerof his/her controller number for multiplayer games. A determination isthen made, at 812, to account for all controllers. If all controllersare accounted-for, the process ends, at 816. If one or more controllersremain unaccounted-for, the process may repeat, at 814 by broadcasting anew broad burst. During game play, the procedure may periodicallyrepeat, at 814, to detect additional players.

Following the controller initialization process, the scanning/searchingprocedure 1000 (FIG. 10) is then initiated by the console, to detect theabsolute position of at least one controller, in three dimensionalspace, with respect to a predetermined console reference point. Thereference point may generally be thought of as a location proximate theconsole antenna array. One embodiment of the scanning procedure,described more fully below with respect to FIG. 10, involvessequentially steering a beam through each of the possible horizontalφ_(H) and vertical orientations θ_(V) over a localized area, such aswithin a room, and collecting data indicative of reflected signalstrength such as a reflected signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameterfor each possible orientation.

Before describing the detailed scanning procedure, and briefly referringto FIG. 9A, a side view of a game console unit 900 is shown with aplurality of narrow directional beams (in phantom) steered atincrementally adjusted vertical angles θ_(V). Each beam is labeled withrespect to a reference beam B0. Beams B+1 through B+5 representdirectional beams at incrementally increasing vertical angles from thereference beam B0, while beams B0−1 and B0−2 represent negatively angledbeams. A similar plan view in the horizontal context is shown in FIG.9B, with each of the steered beams being incremented by a change inhorizontal angle φ_(H). During the actual scanning method, each beamincludes information regarding its angle of orientation. Thus, uponreflection from the controller, the angle of arrival information may bededuced in a straightforward manner. In one embodiment, these angles arequantized to the resolution of a digital driver, like adigital-to-analog converter DAC (not shown) that quantizes the rangeinto 2^N possible angles.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the scanning or searching procedure begins byinitiating the console antenna to direct each beam at each possiblehorizontal and vertical orientation, at 1002, in an effort to detect andtrack both the vertical and horizontal positions of one or morecontrollers. As a given steered beam illuminates a controller, theretro-directive array 500 on the controller reflects the steered beamback to the console unit, at 1004. Since each steered beam from theconsole includes data indicating beam orientation in terms of thehorizontal beam angle φ_(H), and the vertical beam angle θ_(V), thereflected wave carries information identifying the controller locationin terms of the horizontal and vertical angles. Collected signalstrength data for each possible beam orientation may be stored in memorysuch as that illustrated as a matrix in FIG. 9C for later retrieval.

Further referring to FIG. 10, during the search/scan procedure, theconsole antenna measurement circuit 308 (FIG. 3) collects data onreceived signal strength for each directed beam. The results for eachreflected beam are then compared to values stored in the memory 302 orto a predetermined threshold level, at 1006. Controller positiondetection is accomplished in one embodiment by selecting the beamorientation with the highest channel quality parameter, at 1008.Variations of this basic approach are replete, and may involve broadlyradiating a wide-beam into general zones, and refining the search withnarrow beams once the general direction of a target controller isacquired. Other signal quality parameters may also be used to determinedirection, such as bit error rate, etc.

Further referring to FIG. 10, once a reflected beam is detected, itsdirectional coordinates in terms of φ_(H) and θ_(V) are identified, andthe round trip time of flight calculated, at 1010. The round trip timeof flight provides a useful parameter to identify the proximity of thecontroller to the console with a range resolution on the order ofapproximately 1-2 inches.

In one embodiment, the directed beam search procedure described abovemay be augmented for use as an alternative method to initialize thecontrollers rather than omnidirectional broadcasting.

Practically speaking, and illustrated in FIG. 11, the proximity of acontroller 1101 with respect to the console 1103 will lie within one ofseveral rings of depth 1102, 1104, 1106 corresponding to the availableproximity resolution. As an alternative to calculating the round-triptime of flight, the channel bandwidth of the reflected signal may bemonitored, with the result used as a parameter to provide an indicationof proximity. The detection resolution will vary with controllerproximity and relative location to the console. Pre-set mappings can beused to properly map controller location using stored data in alook-up-table for efficient determinations during operation.

Following the initialization procedure, game play may direct the consolephased array antenna to lock onto the game controller position within anarrow field of view to monitor for changes in position. Depending onthe game, the frequency of updates can be set differently. Updates onposition can easily be done orders of magnitude faster than humanmovement. Consequently, many scans and/or position updates may occurduring even the fastest of player movements.

Although the primary use of the millimeter-wave links described hereinis to provide mobile game controller position detection and tracking,during updates, the wireless uplinks and downlinks established betweenthe game console unit 102 and each controllers 104 and 106 may transmitpost-initialization data between the devices unidirectionally orbidirectionally in a variety of ways. As noted above, to providecontroller feedback effects for a player during gameplay, the consoleunit may generate various data such as vibration data for modulatedtransmission from the console to the controller. Transducer elements(not shown) within the controller convert the these signals from thereceiver circuitry into sensible signals such as physical vibrations assensory feedback for the player.

Conversely, a player may wish to depress one or more buttons on thecontroller keypad, or control a mini joystick to establish certainfunctionality with the console 102. Data generated at the controller inresponse to these user-initiated actions may be modulated onto reflectedbeams back to the console during operation.

While the above data transmission scheme employs a time-multiplexedapproach to channelizing the system, dividing the available frequencyspectrum into separate bands to create a frequency-multiplexed scheme isalso a viable approach assuming an appropriately powered localoscillator is employed. Moreover, assigning codes to various channelssuch that a code-division multiplexed approach could be implemented isequally applicable.

It should be noted that the various circuits disclosed herein may bedescribed using computer aided design tools and expressed (orrepresented), as data and/or instructions embodied in variouscomputer-readable media, in terms of their behavioral, registertransfer, logic component, transistor, layout geometries, and/or othercharacteristics. Formats of files and other objects in which suchcircuit expressions may be implemented include, but are not limited to,formats supporting behavioral languages such as C, Verilog, and VHDL,formats supporting register level description languages like RTL, andformats supporting geometry description languages such as GDSII, GDSIII,GDSIV, CIF, MEBES and any other suitable formats and languages.Computer-readable media in which such formatted data and/or instructionsmay be embodied include, but are not limited to, non-volatile storagemedia in various forms (e.g., optical, magnetic or semiconductor storagemedia) and carrier waves that may be used to transfer such formatteddata and/or instructions through wireless, optical, or wired signalingmedia or any combination thereof. Examples of transfers of suchformatted data and/or instructions by carrier waves include, but are notlimited to, transfers (uploads, downloads, e-mail, etc.) over theInternet and/or other computer networks via one or more data transferprotocols (e.g., HTTP, FTP, SMTP, etc.).

When received within a computer system via one or more computer-readablemedia, such data and/or instruction-based expressions of the abovedescribed circuits may be processed by a processing entity (e.g., one ormore processors) within the computer system in conjunction withexecution of one or more other computer programs including, withoutlimitation, net-list generation programs, place and route programs andthe like, to generate a representation or image of a physicalmanifestation of such circuits. Such representation or image maythereafter be used in device fabrication, for example, by enablinggeneration of one or more masks that are used to form various componentsof the circuits in a device fabrication process.

In the foregoing description and in the accompanying drawings, specificterminology and drawing symbols have been set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present invention. In some instances, theterminology and symbols may imply specific details that are not requiredto practice the invention. For example, any of the specific numbers ofbits, signal path widths, signaling or operating frequencies, componentcircuits or devices and the like may be different from those describedabove in alternative embodiments. Also, the interconnection betweencircuit elements or circuit blocks shown or described as multi-conductorsignal links may alternatively be single-conductor signal links, andsingle conductor signal links may alternatively be multi-conductorsignal links. Signals and signaling paths shown or described as beingsingle-ended may also be differential, and vice-versa. Similarly,signals described or depicted as having active-high or active-low logiclevels may have opposite logic levels in alternative embodiments.Component circuitry within integrated circuit devices may be implementedusing metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) technology, bipolar technology orany other technology in which logical and analog circuits may beimplemented. With respect to terminology, a signal is said to be“asserted” when the signal is driven to a low or high logic state (orcharged to a high logic state or discharged to a low logic state) toindicate a particular condition. Conversely, a signal is said to be“deasserted” to indicate that the signal is driven (or charged ordischarged) to a state other than the asserted state (including a highor low logic state, or the floating state that may occur when the signaldriving circuit is transitioned to a high impedance condition, such asan open drain or open collector condition). A signal driving circuit issaid to “output” a signal to a signal receiving circuit when the signaldriving circuit asserts (or deasserts, if explicitly stated or indicatedby context) the signal on a signal line coupled between the signaldriving and signal receiving circuits. A signal line is said to be“activated” when a signal is asserted on the signal line, and“deactivated” when the signal is deasserted. Additionally, the prefixsymbol “/” attached to signal names indicates that the signal is anactive low signal (i.e., the asserted state is a logic low state). Aline over a signal name (e.g., ‘ <signal name>’) is also used toindicate an active low signal. The term “coupled” is used herein toexpress a direct connection as well as a connection through one or moreintervening circuits or structures. Integrated circuit device“programming” may include, for example and without limitation, loading acontrol value into a register or other storage circuit within the devicein response to a host instruction and thus controlling an operationalaspect of the device, establishing a device configuration or controllingan operational aspect of the device through a one-time programmingoperation (e.g., blowing fuses within a configuration circuit duringdevice production), and/or connecting one or more selected pins or othercontact structures of the device to reference voltage lines (alsoreferred to as strapping) to establish a particular device configurationor operation aspect of the device. The term “exemplary” is used toexpress an example, not a preference or requirement.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications andchanges may be made thereto without departing from the broader spiritand scope of the invention. For example, features or aspects of any ofthe embodiments may be applied, at least where practicable, incombination with any other of the embodiments or in place of counterpartfeatures or aspects thereof. Accordingly, the specification and drawingsare to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

We claim:
 1. A gaming system comprising: a game console unit including a processor, first transceiver circuitry coupled to the processor and including respective receiver and transmitter circuits; a first phased array antenna interface coupled to the first transceiver circuitry to transmit and receive millimeter-wave directional signals in response to the processor; and a first mobile game controller including a second phased array antenna interface to receive and redirect the directional signals back to the first phased array antenna interface; and wherein the processor generates proximity data based at least in part on a parameter associated with the directional signals, the proximity data representing the proximity of the first mobile game controller with respect to the game console unit.
 2. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter relates to a round trip time of flight of the directional signals.
 3. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the parameter relates to detected available bandwidth associated with the directional signals.
 4. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the directional signals include angle of arrival information, the processor operative to generate three-dimensional location data based at least in part on the proximity data and the angle of arrival information of the redirected directional signals.
 5. The gaming system according to claim 4 and further including memory to store a signal parameter indicator value for each angle of arrival value.
 6. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the processor comprises: a general purpose processor.
 7. The gaming system according to claim 1 and further including a second mobile game controller, the game console unit further including a scheduler to manage communication between the game console unit and the first and second mobile game controllers.
 8. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the first mobile game controller includes second transceiver circuitry to transmit and receive data to and from the game console unit.
 9. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the first phased array antenna interface and the second phased array antenna interface cooperate to form a wireless link, the wireless link having a plurality of communication channels.
 10. The gaming system according to claim 9 wherein the plurality of communication channels are divided in the time domain.
 11. The gaming system according to claim 9 wherein the plurality of communication channels are divided in the frequency domain.
 12. The gaming system according to claim 9 wherein the plurality of communication channels are divided in code space.
 13. The gaming system according to claim 9 wherein the wireless link comprises an uplink to direct data from the first mobile game controller to the game console unit.
 14. The gaming system according to claim 9 wherein the wireless link comprises a downlink to direct data from the game console unit to the first mobile game controller.
 15. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the second phased array antenna interface includes a retro-directive array antenna.
 16. The gaming system according to claim 15 wherein the retro-directive array antenna comprises: a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional array to receive a millimeter-wave signal of a predetermined carrier frequency; phase conjugation circuitry coupled to the plurality of antenna elements; and a local oscillator to provide a signal at twice the predetermined carrier frequency.
 17. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the second phased array antenna interface includes modulation circuitry for data transmission along an uplink.
 18. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the game console unit further includes: a display interface for coupling to a display device to graphically illustrate the position of an object based at least in part on the proximity data.
 19. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the first phased array antenna and the second phased array antenna both comprise two-dimensional arrays of antenna elements.
 20. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the transceiver circuitry operates within the range of frequencies between 30 GHz to 300 GHz.
 21. The gaming system according to claim 8 wherein the second transceiver circuitry comprises: receiver circuitry forming a receiving end of a downlink, the receiver circuitry to receive modulated data in accordance with a constant amplitude form of modulation.
 22. The gaming system according to claim 21 wherein the receiver circuitry comprises: an intermediate frequency mixer array to downconvert the received modulated data; a low-pass filter coupled to the intermediate frequency mixer array to demodulate the data; and slicing threshold comparator circuitry disposed at the output of the low-pass filter.
 23. The gaming system according to claim 8 wherein the second transceiver circuitry comprises: transmitter circuitry forming a transmission end of an uplink, the transmitter circuitry to transmit data in accordance with a code-spreading method.
 24. The gaming system according to claim 23 wherein the transmitter circuitry comprises: a linear modulator to generate modulated data from an input data stream; a spreading code generator to generate a chipping code for mixing with the modulated data; and a carrier frequency generator to generate a carrier wave signal of a predetermined frequency for mixing with the modulated data mixed with the chipping code.
 25. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the first transceiver circuitry comprises: transmitter circuitry forming the transmission end of a downlink, the transmitter circuitry to transmit modulated data in accordance with a constant amplitude form of modulation.
 26. The gaming system according to claim 25 wherein the transmitter circuitry comprises: a baseband processor to receive input data; a shift keying modulator coupled to the baseband processor to modulate the baseband processed data; and a mixer to upconvert the received modulated data to an RF signal.
 27. The gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the first transceiver circuitry includes receiver circuitry forming a receiving end of an uplink, the receiver circuitry to receive data in accordance with a code-spreading method.
 28. The gaming system according to claim 27 wherein the receiver circuitry comprises: a downconverter to downconvert the received RF signal; a spreading code generator to generate a chipping code for mixing with the downconverted data; and a filter to recover the data from the chipping coded signal. 